Nike sues Reebok over Tebow apparel

Tim Tebow's trade to the New York Jets has sparked a demand for Tebow Jets uniforms and a lawsuit by Nike against Reebok.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Nike is suing rival Reebok for selling New York Jets uniforms and other Jets apparel with the name of its new quarterback Tim Tebow on them.

Nike (NKE, Fortune 500) says it is the only company authorized and licensed to use Tim Tebow's name on clothing. Reebok, a unit of German sporting equipment and apparel-maker adidas (ADDDF), did not respond to requests for comment.

Tebow was traded from the Denver Broncos to the Jets on March 21, creating a media frenzy and a huge spike in demand for Tebow-related Jets apparel in the New York market.

But the trade came during a rare month when no company has the rights to sell licensed NFL apparel with both the team's name or logo and a player's name on it.

That's because the rights deals are in the process of switching from Reebok to Nike. Two different agreements cover licensing: one for players' names, which switched over on March 1; and one for the NFL teams, which goes into effect on April 1.

"There's generally nothing going on this time a year," said Matt Powell, analyst with SportsScanINFO, which tracks sales of licensed apparel. "A dead zone like this normally wouldn't matter in March, unless there's Tebow-mania."

To sell a piece of licensed apparel with both a team's name and a players' name, a company needs a rights agreement with both the National Football League and either the licensing arm of the NFL Players Association or the player himself.

Nike's suit says that it already has such a deal with Tebow, as well as with the union. But the NFL's own 10-year licensing deal doesn't change from Reebok to Nike until Sunday, April 1.

So right now Reebok can sell uniforms and other apparel with team name and logo, but not with a player's name, unless it has a deal with that player, according to Nike's suit. But Nike can't sell any apparel featuring any team names or logosuntil this Sunday.

Tebow's uniform was the second most popular of any NFL player last season, according to Nike's suit. And according to SportsScanINFO, demand for Jets apparel soared last week after the trade was announced.

"Reebok has sought to take advantage of this unique, short-lived opportunity by supplying, without authorization or license, Tebow-identified New York Jets apparel to retailers in New York and elsewhere around the country," said the suit.

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said the league does not have a comment on the suit.

Nike's suit, which was filed in federal court in New York, seeks to block Reebok from further sales, de story any existing Tebow-Jets apparel not yet sold, and compensate Nike with triple damages based on Reebok's sales of the Tebow-Jets items.